Saturday, April 8, marks the first Thrive-A-Thon, a virtual event designed to jump-start thriving habits.  Dr. Lee Baucom, an expert on thriving, will host the event, leading participants through training and exercises throughout the event.

According to Dr. Baucom, thriving is a skill that can be learned and practiced.  The author of the recent book, Thrive Principles, Dr. Baucom notes that many people have habits that hold them back, but only need a small nudge to move in a better direction.  “Sometimes,” according to Baucom, “it is just a matter of seeing what is in your way, then making a habit that allows you to fix it or step around it.”

Dr. Baucom claims to be the world’s first Thriveologist, stating, “I am pretty sure of that, since I coined the term some years ago.  It just seemed to me that we do lots of research on why people don’t thrive, why people are hurting.  But there is clear evidence of ways to thrive.  I’ve been studying that for most of my career.”  While Dr. Baucom started his career as a therapist, he changed to life coaching.  “I found I really liked helping people to grow.  Not just grow, but thrive.”

In his research, Baucom notes that thriving is not due to a lack of hardships or struggles.  Instead, it is more about how those hardships and struggles are approached.  “Are they opportunities for growth or just obstacles?” asks Baucom.  He continues, “People who take on struggles, difficult times, and see them as chances to grow tend to be the thrivers.  And that is more a matter of attitude than anything.”

The Thrive-A-Thon event will be hosted by Facebook, with Dr. Baucom using Facebook Live features for interaction and teaching.  “I will give some training and coaching at the top of each hour, and then give an assignment for the rest of that hour.  Each hour will represent another skill of thriving, giving people an opportunity to try it out ‘on the fly’” said Baucom.

Dr. Baucom observes, “We seem to be in a period of instability.  People tell me they have a constant feeling of anxiety and concern.  Some of my clients have reported a growing concern for themselves and society.  I just don’t see it that way.  I believe this is a period of growth.  Yes, things are shifting.  But whenever there is a shift, there is an opportunity for growth.  When things aren’t shifting, we tend to be stagnate.”

In his book, Thrive Principles, Dr. Baucom outlines 15 strategies for building a thriving life.  Each strategy is connected to the others, and all can be incorporated by anyone, according to Baucom.  “My research led me to believe that thriving is an option for anyone, at any point in life, regardless of the current circumstances,” states Baucom.

The idea of a Thrive-A-Thon occurred to Dr. Baucom after a listener of his Thriveology Podcast challenged him to “prove it.”  The listener was responding to a statement from Dr. Baucom that thriving is learnable, and could be learned by anyone.  In an email, the listener asked Dr. Baucom to prove his point.  And according to Dr. Baucom, this seemed like a good time to try.  “If I can spend a few hours pointing out strategies for thriving, then people go and try it, and then report back, we get to test my ideas that little shifts in habits can make a difference,” states Dr. Baucom.

People can sign up to be notified of updates for the Thrive-A-Thon by going to http://ThriveAThon.com

To learn more about Thrive Principles, visit http://TheThrivePrinciples.com